President Trump unleashed a blistering attack on Fox News this week after the conservative network aired coverage of Tom Steyer, the Democratic candidate for California governor whom the 79-year-old president branded a “sleazebag.”
The outburst, posted to Truth Social on Wednesday morning, revealed the extent to which Trump monitors his preferred cable news outlet and expects favorable coverage of Republican candidates over their Democratic rivals.
“Why is FoxNews showing SLEAZEBAG Tom Steyer, doing a big piece on him right now, and probably putting him ‘into play,’ instead of talking about Republican Candidates, and really good ones like Steve Hilton, and Republicans?” Trump wrote on April 15.
The president’s fury appeared directed at coverage of Steyer that aired on Fox News during the late morning hours. According to Mediaite, Trump likely reacted to a graphic displayed during an interview with Steve Hilton on “The Faulkner Focus” around 11:50 a.m. ET, in which host Harris Faulkner mentioned Steyer’s anti-ICE agenda and showed his five-point immigration plan on screen. The segment examined the 68-year-old billionaire’s controversial immigration platform, which calls for abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement and reversing Trump-era enforcement policies.
Faulkner devoted a portion of the segment to breaking down Steyer’s plan for confronting ICE agents, a proposal that includes outlawing agencies from profiling for immigration arrests and empowering the state attorney general to criminally prosecute and imprison ICE agents and their leadership. Fox News correspondent Bill Melugin pointed out that Steyer’s immigration platform is “radically left” of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s, and the coverage was hardly flattering. Multiple Fox News personalities highlighted that Steyer’s former hedge fund, Farallon Capital, maintained ties to private prisons now being used to house immigrants slated for deportation under the Trump administration’s policies.
Fox News anchor Martha MacCallum, who discussed the race on her own program, questioned whether Steyer, who ran for president in 2020, represented the Democratic Party’s strongest option in the deep-blue state. She suggested the departure of Rep. Eric Swalwell from the race may have been orchestrated to clear the field for another candidate, though she expressed doubt about whether Steyer could capitalize. Swalwell suspended his campaign and resigned from Congress days earlier following explosive sexual misconduct allegations from multiple women.
Trump’s tirade continued with a second post attacking both Fox News and California’s election system. “How can a Republican expect to win that State, with their Mail In Voting and Rigged Elections, when you have FoxNews promoting the Democrats?” he wrote. “Nobody cares about Tom Steyer, he is a LOSER, but Fox is making it possible for a guy like this to win. VOTE FOR STEVE HILTON, AND TURN CALIFORNIA AROUND!”
The irony of Trump’s complaint was not lost on observers. Fox News actually provided Hilton, the former Fox News host and Republican candidate Trump endorsed, with more airtime than it gave Steyer. Hilton sat down for a six-minute interview with Harris Faulkner on “The Faulkner Focus” immediately following “America’s Newsroom,” more than double the length of the Steyer-related coverage that triggered the presidential outburst.
During that interview, Hilton echoed Trump’s dismissive assessment of his Democratic rival. “No one wants Tom Steyer,” Hilton said. “Tom Steyer with this insane, far-left open borders plan has shown that he’s just not qualified, not fit for that office.”
Trump appears to have tuned out before Hilton’s appearance, missing the coverage of his preferred candidate entirely. The episode underscores the president’s habit of reacting to snippets of cable news coverage without watching full programs, a pattern that has produced repeated public outbursts during his second term in office.
Neither Fox News nor Steyer’s campaign responded to requests for comment about the president’s attacks. The network has maintained an uneasy relationship with Trump since his return to the White House in January 2025, occasionally drawing his ire when coverage doesn’t align with his preferences or political interests.
Steyer released his immigration plan Wednesday, proposing sweeping changes that would dismantle much of the enforcement infrastructure built during Trump’s first term and expanded during his current presidency. The plan positions the billionaire activist as a progressive alternative in the race to succeed Gov. Gavin Newsom, who is term-limited.
California represents one of the most challenging battlegrounds for Republicans in the country. Trump’s suggestion that the state’s voting systems are “rigged” repeats claims he has made without evidence since losing California by wide margins in previous elections. His endorsement of Hilton signals an attempt to remain relevant in a state where Republican candidates face steep demographic disadvantages.
The president’s attack on Fox News comes amid a broader pattern of lashing out at media outlets, including those generally sympathetic to his administration. Earlier this month, Trump publicly called for the removal of Fox News host Jessica Tarlov, telling network executives to “take Jessica Tarlov off the air” after she criticized him on “The Five.” Days later, he attacked her again after she cited his unfavorable approval ratings on air.
Trump’s relationship with Fox News has grown increasingly volatile as he demands loyalty from the network he once described as his favorite. His latest outburst suggests he views any coverage of Democratic candidates, regardless of tone or context, as a betrayal worthy of public condemnation.
As the California gubernatorial race intensifies, Trump’s intervention threatens to nationalize a state contest while revealing the extent to which he expects conservative media to function as an arm of Republican political strategy rather than an independent news source.